March 2015 - Konnect Agency

Why Reading For Pleasure Is Crucial In Public Relations

March 25, 2015 by konnectprdaily

I am guilty of writing monotonous and uninspiring press releases.

We all are.

Press releases have kind of fallen to the wayside as more and more editors prefer short, to-the-point pitches. However, press releases still hold an important place in public relations. Unfortunately, publicists fall into bad habits with overused words, dry quotes, and repetitive sentences, making the process frustrating for the writer, the reader, and most importantly, the client.

The struggle with being tasked to write what seems like an infinite number of press releases is that we eventually run out of words, or so we think. How many times have we used “innovative”, “premium”, and “high-quality” in press releases for completely different clients with completely different concepts? Too much to make an editor think that reading your press release is worth their time.

And while we may have the Thesaurus bookmarked on our Google Chrome, the best solution to this problem is picking up a book.

Any book.

It shouldn’t come as a shocker to anyone that reading helps improve your vocabulary and sparks your creativity.

Finding excuses to not have time to read is not only pitiful, but detrimental to your career in public relations.

It’s not high school anymore, and you don’t have to read The Iliad.

Even if it’s a trashy reality star’s biography, it will still help. And you can take my word for it because I love trashy reality star biographies.

Beyond enhancing your vocabulary, reading will also help you see from multiple perspectives, allowing you to expand upon subjects and details that will make your press releases more eye-catching and specialized.

So pick up a damn book!

– Claire Grady

Internship Excitement

March 24, 2015 by konnectprdaily

Today is my second day at Konnect Public Relations and I already love it here! I am working across divisions as a full-time intern for both the Baby & Children and the Food & Beverage clients. This presents such a remarkable opportunity to learn from the best and to continue to grow in a career in public relations. Furthermore, I am so very excited to work with a diverse range of consumer lifestyle brands. While I haven’t been at the Konnect PR offices very long, I know that I have a great deal to look forward to as my internship continues.

What am I most excited about?

To “get my feet wet” in a public relations agency environment through working with such a stellar team. I am a recent college graduate and know that I will learn a tremendous amount from my supervisors and mentors here at Konnect PR.
To work with not just one, but two fantastic divisions. I am energized by the work of both the Baby & Children and Food & Beverage divisions and am thrilled to work with an assortment of clients. As an aunt of an infant and a toddler, I can’t wait to work with such Baby brands as the adorable Babiators, stylish Ju-Ju-Be, and innovative FirstBIKE. Additionally, I am a bit of a foodie and am excited to work with tasty brands including PB Crave, High Brew Coffee (I am a bit of a coffee addict!), and Rhythm Superfoods.
To explore DTLA. I am a Los Angeles native, yet must admit that until now I have not spent much time downtown. As a Konnect Public Relations intern, I am already loving the opportunity to familiarize myself with the area and to wander during my lunch breaks. Plus, the views from our office are phenomenal!

Overall, I cannot wait to continue to dive into the work and culture here at KPR. I know that I will learn an incredible amount as an intern here. I am so happy to join the team here and can’t wait to get to work!

-Becca

Konnect PR Takes Top Spot on FranchiseRankings.com

March 23, 2015 by konnectprdaily

We love our franchise clients, and it seems they love us too! We’re so excited to announce that Konnect Public Relations has claimed the top spot in FranchiseRanking’s Best Franchise PR Agencies.

KPR scored top marks for needs analysis, creativity, implementation, reporting and overall performance. We’re an agency full of publicists that are extraordinarily passionate about the work we do for our clients, and we’re overjoyed that our dedication shows!

Want to see what Konnect can do for your franchise? Contact us and find out!

Things I’ve Learned In My First Month of PR

March 20, 2015 by konnectprdaily

Like many big changes in life, there’s always that period of adjustment; adjusting to your first week of college, adjusting to living in another city, etc. My big adjustment came from the transition of being an unemployed college grad to a full-time working adult. Having to sleep early every night and wake up at 6am everyday was the real struggle. My first month here at Konnect PR has been about learning the ins and out of PR and navigating the office culture. With that being said, here is what I’ve learned so far:

Coffee is prime. You can’t write a good press release without having downed a big ol’ cup of Joe. You might also get the occasional panic attack when the Nespresso pods are running low in the kitchen.

Be assertive. Not all clients and press are easy to deal with. There could be a lot of back and forth, but ultimately, things need to be booked and the client needs to be happy.
Emails are your life. You absolutely need to connect your phone to your email account, lest you want to be overwhelmed with a full inbox every morning.

There are still so many things to learn in this bright pink office and lots of people to learn from. My journey here has only just begun. Bring it on, PR. I’m ready for you.

How Unique Angles Can Get You Press

March 19, 2015 by konnectprdaily

I wanted to write today on a topic that’s been really interesting for me to learn so far in public relations, especially when it comes to franchise PR.

When your client is a brand, whether it’s a food/drink brand or a franchise concept, you have an obvious product you can pitch. You pitch the food/drink item, special deals or unique menu items and you pitch fun guest experiences. Of course editors want to hear about your product–that’s what makes up your brand!

However, I have learned that finding something really interesting about the brand can help get some additional amazing press…especially if you work with a franchise.

Does one of your franchisees have a fascinating story to tell? Did they come from a completely different background than franchising? Do they have an interesting way of running the business that is different than most other concepts? Have they created a new menu item that might be introduced system-wide? Those are the angles that get press. Editors want to hear stories. They want to hear about a challenge and how passion and determination helped a person succeed. They want to hear about the lessons entrepreneurs have learned in completely different industries that they took with them to franchising. They want to hear about a company culture, or an interesting workplace environment. They want stories, and finding unique angles and fascinating background information gives them what they are looking for.

I know I will continue my quest for a back story. Will you? : )

xoxo

How to Create an Awesome Listicle

March 18, 2015 by konnectprdaily

Buzzfeed is famous for posting countless listicles (a combination of an article and a list) about every topic you could possibly imagine. From cats to Beyonce to why living in Los Angeles ruins you for life, the site has mastered the art of making randomness go viral. Whether you’re a small business owner who just opened a store downtown or a publicist at a PR firm that represents a huge franchise, using Buzzfeed’s method of blog posting can benefit your brand by creating buzz and clicks to your website (and can also be helpful for media pitching!).

Here are a few helpful public relations tips on how to generate a Buzzfeed-worthy listicle:

Pick an Interesting Topic

Write about something that readers will find clever. If your brand is a Mexican restaurant, go for something humorous like “Reasons Why Burritos Are the Source of All Your Happiness” or “The Ultimate Showdown: Burrito vs. Taco.” Buzzfeed is known for its tongue-in-cheek humor. Don’t be afraid to get creative and have some fun!

Less is More

You don’t want to bore your audience. Keep your listicle short and simple. Going on for three paragraphs about why a burrito is better than a taco has potential to get monotonous. Cut straight to the point with 1-2 sentences.

Don’t Forget Those GIFs!

What really makes a Buzzfeed post go viral is the images the author chooses. Whether it be a witty GIF or a high-quality picture, it’s important to choose something that correlates with your topic and can capture your audience’s attention.

Those are just a few ways you can use the listicle method of blog posting for your brand! To read more you can visit our friends at PR Daily: http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/18249.aspx.

– Emily Johnston